Toe ironing and treeing machine



D. B. HEATH AND A. ANNIS.

TOE IRONING AND TREEING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19, 1919.

1 404 695, Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

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Q wag/ D. B. H EATH AND A. ANNIS.

TOE [RONING AND TREEING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAYH), 1919.

1,404,695, Patented Jan. 24, 1922. v

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DONALD IB. HEATH, 036 "W INTI-I301, AND ANNIE OF EVERETT, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO BOSTGN LAST COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

TOE IBGNING AND TREEII TG MACHINE.

inc ines.

implication filed May 19,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DONALD E. Helm-1, a citizenof the United States, and a resident of VViHthIOl, Massachusetts, and AINLEY ANNrs, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, and a resident of Everett, Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Toe Ironing and Treeing lilachines. of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

()u r present invention is an improved electrically heated machine for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and particularly for ironing, treeing, and forming the forepart and toe portions of stitchdown and McKay shoes.

In the manufacture of boots and shoes of the McKay type as well as those of the stitchdown type, it has heretofore been necessary to smooth, form, iron or tree the marginal portions of'the boot or shoe atthe This has proven to be an extremely difficult, tiresome, and expensive operation, and extremely diflicult, to perform satisfactorily. Furthermore great skill was required in this hand operation and great strength as well, since the toeportions of such shoes were frequently con siderably wrinkled and it was necessary to iron out these wrinkles and inequalities. Our present invention aims to provide a machine for accomplishing this prior hand operation and furthermore to provide a machine with an especially formed and curved type of forming iron, provided withample clearance both for the sole and for the upper of the shoe being operated upon; to pro vide means for heating theiron and to enable the upper to be guarded against contact with the heated iron durin the manipulation of the shoe thereon. A further advantage of the present machine consists in the capability of enabling the operator to take the shoe in both hands, thus supplying the pressure without undue exertion. The provision also of having such a treeing iron heated to proper degree so as to effect the toe ironing and treeing operation on the leather without injury to the leather greatly expedites this work.

As it is desirable in such ironing operations to coat the upper and portions to be ironed with petroleum or the like to facili- Specification of Lettersliatent.

. lPatented J an. 24:, 1922.

1919.- Serial 1%. 2ss,257.-

tate ironing, smoothing and finishing of the shoe as well as to protect the upper from damage and keep it in temper While the treeing is carried out, we have provided a simple, novel and ehicient arrangement as a part of th y present machine to enable the operator to quickly coat the portions of the shoe to be treated immediately before applyingthem to the iron. This feature includes a heated receptacle to receive petroleum or the like and one or more, preferably two, felt pads to supply the oil to the shoe, utilizing apair of these members (one can be in position foruse, while the other is in position to absorb the petroleum to be applied)wand novel means are arranged for correspondingly" interchanging these pads when one has become dried out from use. Adjustments in the machine both for height, position, and angle of the iron and for the position of the oiling pads are provided.

Referriiigto the drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention Fig. 1 is a: side view of our improved ap paratus; and

Fig. 2 is an end view. 7

We prefer to formthis machine as a small bench apparatus and to this end provide a base 1 suitable for bolting to a bench or support, said base carrying a vertically extending standard 52, carrying at one side a laterally projecting web 3 and with the main standard ending in a circular head 4:. The head t ispreferably formed with a plurality of teeth :5 (see Fig. 1) to receive, in any desired adjusted position, the carrier 6 having similar teeth cooperating therewith, the samebeing held in assembled position with the head a by means on a hand wheel 7 carrying the hub Shearing upon a corresponding hublike portion 9 of the carrier 6 and with the shank 10 of said wheel 7 threaded at 11 into a correspondingly threaded recess in the' center of the head 4:. Rotating the wheel 7 to permit loosening and separating the carrier 6 from engagement with the teeth 5 enables the carrier 6 to be rotated relatively with'the head 4 and thus to give an adjustment both in height and angularly' with the treeing iron 15 which is supported on the carrier. The carrier 6 has formed thereon a lateral lug 14 to which the treeing iron 15 is supported and attached in any convenientmanner. As shown. in the drawings, we prefer to make the rim 15 and lu 14 integral, utilizing a single casting for t e same, and also provid- V ingmeans therein to hold a removable electricalhe'ating unit, as will be further explained. f

It is desirable to have the iron 15 es pecially formed so as to permit the manipu-- lation of a shoe thereabout, as partially shown-in dotted lines, Fig. 1 and for this purpose the iron 15 has concave faces and 21 and also preferably has its lowermost edge 22 partially rounded as shown in Fig. 1. This construction enables the shoe to be moved about and around the iron without danger of injuring the upper and with the entire force of the ironing and treeing operation exerted on the welt and upper, at the part desired. It is also advisable tohave the iron 15 suitably heated and while we may employ steam or gas as a heating medium, we prefer to utilize a removable electrical heater. For this purpose, the upper part of the iron 15-is formed with a reoess 24 adapted to receive a heating unit 25 of standard type to which the wires 26 and 27 are led through the guide 30 securedto the top-of the head 4. A bracket 31 is fitted to theiron 15 through which the wires 26 and 27 are carried, as shown in Fig. 2. In order to protect the operator from. contact with the upper and more highly heated portions of the iron, a guard 35 is applied, partly enclosing the iron.

The .toe ironing and treeing apparatus thus far described may be employed for the toe ironing and forming operations. Current being supplied to the electric heater and the angular position and height of the iron being adjusted by the operator to suit his height and position, by partial rotation of the carrier 6 on the head 4, as already described, the toe ironing operation may be continuously carried out. The operator having both hands with which to manipulate and apply the shoe, is able to handle a greatly increased number of pairs of shoes with improved uniformity of work.

"To supply the tempering and leather protectlng liquid, such as petroleum, oil, vase line, or the like and within convenient reach of the-operator, we have arranged for such supply as a part of the present machine. The web .3 is formed with a socket in which "a rod 41 is threaded, thus providing for. a considerable range of adjustment to ward 'or from the iron 15 to suit the conven1ence,-reach, and position of the operator. 1; The outer end of the rod 41 is reduced in dlameter and carriesa bracket 42 having a hub 43 fitted thereover, said bracket being eXtendedto constitute a trough 44. Adjacent the trough also, the bracket is recessed Ito-receive a heating unit '45 to which current carrying wires 46- and 47 are led from any; suitable source of electrical power. 1A1) each side of the hub 43 are fitted,-upon the reduced portion of the rod 41,-arms 48 and 49, being pivotally mounted upon'the rod 41. These arms are duplicates and are of suflicient length to extend forwardly and register with the trough 44.. The outer end of each arm is formed to receive and retain a felt pad 50, or other suitable material, to receive and hold the petroleum, which is poured into the trough 44 and kept in a heated and molten condition by the heating unit 45. These pads 50may be secured in any desired position but preferably the outer edge of each arm 48 and 49 is slotted substantially as shown in Fig. 2, and a small set screw 51 retains the pads in place. Formed on the hub 43 is a rearwardly eX- .tending pivot pin 55 on which is mounted a link 56. The link 56 is held imposition by a bolt 57 threaded onto the outer portion of the pivot pin 55. This link 56 extends parallel with the rod 41 and across the pivots of the arms 48 and 49 having formed therein and near each. end elongated slots 57 and 58, adapted to fit over pins 59 on the arms 48 and 60 on the arm 49 which eX- tend beyond the link 56. As the arms 48 and 49 are freely and pivotally mounted on the rod 41, the swinging of one arm downwardly, for example, acts to automatically move the other arm upwardly through this engagement of the link 56,with the respective pins 59 and 60. Both the arms and the bracket are held in assembled position by a bolt 66 threaded onto the outer end of the rod 41. The bolt 55 may also be tightened sufiiciently to afford frictional engagement so as to hold the arms 48 and 49 respectively in position when moved, while permitting them to be freely and easily thus moved, the parts together with thelink 56 being largely in balanced relation.

The operation of this oiling arrangement will be readily understood from the drawings. Petroleum or the like being supplied to the trough 44, and current turned off to the heating unit 45, the oil in the trough will be maintained in molten condition. One of the arms, for example 48, in lowered position, the pad 50 will absorb the quantity of oil. W hen the operator is ready to apply a shoe to the iron 50, the other arm 49 is then moved downwardly and the arm. 48 will be simultaneously raised with its pad 50 filled with oil against which the operator presses the toe portion of the shoe to be ironed. This oiling action is continued until the supply of oil from the pad 50 becomes insuf ficient. Meanwhile the other arm and pad have been soaking'up the oil in the trough 44, whereupon the operator depresses the first arm, which simultaneously raises the other, thus instantly repositioning a new pad of heated lubricant ready fon quickly supplying. the same to successive shoes until it mosses is used up, the other pad being meanwhile absorbing a quantity or load of oil in the trough 44.

Our present invention is further described and claimed in the form of claims as follows:

1. Apparatus of the kind described adapted for ironing, treeing and forming the forepart and toe portions of boots and shoes comprising a forming iron adapted to fit within the Welt crease of a shoe so formed as to provide clearance for the shoe, in combination with electrical heating means for said iron.

2. Apparatus of the kind described adapted for ironing, tr eeing and forming the forepart and toe portions of boots and shoes comprising a forming iron adapted to fit Within the Welt crease of a shoe so formed as to provide clearance for the shoe, in combination with electrical heating means for said iron and a rotatably adjustable support for the iron.

3. Apparatus of the kind described adapted for ironing, treeing and forming the lorcpart and toe portions of boots and shoes comprising a forming iron adapted to fit Within the Welt crease of a shoe so formed as to provide clearance for the shoe, in combination With electrical heating means for said iron, and a guard for that portion of the iron to which heat is primarily supplied.

41-. Apparatus of the kind described comprising a forming iron adapted to be heated and having a rounded Work engaging edge so formed as to provide clearance for a shoe being operated upon, constructed to receive a removable electrically heated member, means to guard the heated portion of the iron, means to lead the current receiving Wires out of the Way of the Work engaging portion of the iron and means to adjust the iron in angular position.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

DONALD B. HEATH. AINLEY ANNIS. Witnesses JAMES It. Honour, RACHAEL G. CLARK. 

